A SCHOOLBOY who has lost both his father and grandfather to cancer has vowed to raise cash for the hospital that treated them.

Thomas Keegan, aged 12, will run 10 miles in a bid to collect as much as possible for the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

The Bolton School pupil was just 10-years-old when his father, Jaime, died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, aged 42.

His grandfather, Robert Keegan - star of the popular 1960s show Z Cars - died of lung cancer in 1988, before Thomas was born.

But fundraising runs in the family, as Thomas's grandmother, Sal Keegan, and widow of Robert, raised £750,000 to build a day room at St Ann's Hospice in Little Hulton.

The room, which was named after the actor, opened in 1991, a permanent memorial to Robert, who played Sgt Blackett in the hit BBC series.

Thomas will now take part in the run on October 7.

His proud gran, Mrs Keegan, aged, 71, who ran the showbusiness agency Pancho Promotions Agency before she retired, said: "I'm so proud of him. He came up with the idea on his own and said he'd been thinking about it for a good few weeks.

"He has been through an awful lot, but he is very grateful for all the care that Christie's gave his father and wants to give something back to the hospital."

Thomas's father was first diagnosed with the devastating disease in 2000, and despite gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions, he died on October 30 - his wedding anniversary - in the Royal Bolton Hospital in 2005.

Mrs Keegan, who lives on Chilgrove Avenue in Blackrod, just a few doors away from her grandson and his mother, Judith, said: "Jaime was very brave and we were all devastated by his death. This makes what Thomas is doing even more special."

If anyone wants to sponsor Thomas's run they can send cheques, made payable to The Christie Hospital, to 2 Chilgrove Avenue, Blackrod, BL6 5TR.